State Releases PARCC Results – Understanding the Scores

Today, the Colorado Department of Education released the state’s Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC. This marks the second year that the PARCC assessment has been administered in the Durango 9-R school system and parents will soon receive score reports that detail how students performed on last spring’s assessments in English language arts, math and science.

Today, the Colorado Department of Education released the state’s Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC. This marks the second year that the PARCC assessment has been administered in the Durango 9-R school system and parents will soon receive score reports that detail how students performed on last spring’s assessments in English language arts, math and science. To that end, the Colorado Department of Education developed resources for parents to help navigate the score reports and plan ahead for assessments in the 2016/17 school year.

Statewide assessments taken in the spring by students from third to 11th grade are used to provide academic check-ins and give feedback on students’ progress. The score reports explain whether a student is meeting grade-level expectations and whether he or she is on track for college and a career. The report has been broken down to reflect where the student is succeeding or where he or she needs more practice.

The tests, which include the Colorado Measures of Academic Success tests, or CMAS, are aligned with the Colorado Academic Standards. They match content taught in the classroom every day and are designed to measure real- world skills, like critical thinking, problem-solving and writing, skills that will help them be prepared for success in college and careers. These tests provide only one measure of a child’s achievement. Parents should know the tests, along with classroom grades and feedback from teachers, provide a more complete picture of their students’ performance.

Parents can use score reports as a discussion guide about what additional supports can help their students succeed. The reports also can help parents understand where to focus learning time at home. Additionally, students can get connections to scholarship providers, access to online college and career planning tools and feedback to support opportunities for rigorous coursework.

For more information about how to read and understand your score report, check out this Scoreboard Explainer.